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He desperately wanted Times readers to know he reads To Kill a Mockingbird to his infant.

The New York Times profiles Cody Keenan, Obama’s speechwriter. Even for a classic “sweetener” piece, it’s pretty obsequious. Particularly given the fact that Obama’s speeches — and speechifying — are the most overrated in modern memory. For instance, Obama dubs Keenan “Hemingway.” But that’s not the funny part. Maybe Obama is being ironic, like calling a big guy “Tiny.” Or maybe Keenan just loves The Old Man and the Sea. I don’t know and don’t really care. Frankly, I’d never heard of Keenan until this story. It’s this part (in bold below) that causes the reader to stop short: